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Mid-Day Ticker: Neville doesn’t see Donovan returning, no investigation by UEFA and more

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photo by Ben Queenborough/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Phil Neville is in favor of manager David Moyes bringing in reinforcements to the club during the winter transfer window in January, but one player the Everton captain doesn't see being brought in is Landon Donovan.

Neville admitted that everyone at the club loved Donovan during his 10-game loan with the Blues in 2010, but he believes that the only reason the Los Angeles Galaxy attacker went was to remain in playing shape prior to the World Cup. With no major international tournament looming for the American in 2012, Neville doesn't envision Donovan returning.

There has been speculation regarding Donovan's future in recent weeks, with many fans and pundits seeing the upcoming transfer window as one of Donovan's last chances to make a permanent move abroad.

Here are more stories to help get you through the day:

UEFA WILL NOT INVESTIGATE LYON'S LOPSIDED VICTORY

UEFA has no plans to open an investigation into Lyon's improbable 7-1 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb after a French online gaming authority (ARJEL) found nothing to suggest match-fixing. UEFA has yet to receive reports from the match referee and match delegate, but it said that there was currently nothing warranting a further investigation after ARJEL decided to run checks on bets placed on the result.

O'NEILL CONTEMPLATING GYAN RECALL

Having been signed to help struggling Sunderland distance itself from the relegation zone, manager Martin O'Neill is considering whether to recall Asamoah Gyan from his season-long loan to United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain. O'Neill believes Gyan has the potential to help solve the Black Cats' offensive issues, but that discussions will need to take place before a decision is made.

PARDEW BLAMES REF FOR NEWCASTLE INJURIES

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has blamed referee Mike Dean for the injuries that the club's players have suffered. Pardew claims Dean's decision to only book Chelsea's David Luiz this past weekend following a foul on Demba Ba when he looked to be in on goal forced Newcastle to to put in more effort than in any other game this season. Pardew says that resulted in the injuries of Danny Guthrie and Steven Taylor. Newcastle lost the game, 3-0.

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Are you hoping Neville is wrong, and that Donovan does indeed return to Everton in January? Surprised by UEFA's decision not to investigate? Should O'Neill bring Gyan back to Sunderland?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Dude has Dogs and lives at the beach! Why would anyone pushing 30 at the end of peak career want to move abroad. His body will hold up longer in MLS and he will be with his dogs and the hot Socal babes. Dogs and Beyatches people!

    Reply
  2. Ehmmm…you really think if he had been offered a contract by Bayern Munich he would have turned it down?

    No chance.

    It’s about money.

    Galaxy and MLS won’t let him go without big money.

    He’s still pretty much the poster boy for MLS and US soccer.

    Now that Donovan’s won the Cup again I can imagine he may be interested in going back to Europe.

    But who can afford him/is willing to take a risk on him?

    He’s great for a team like Everton that can profit from a quick player good on the counter. But most other teams that play like that are fighting relegation and may be worried about his small frame.

    Personally, I’d love to see him go back to Everton.

    I really hope he does.

    I’d hate to see him on the bench somewhere.

    I could see him playing in Ligue 1, too.

    Reply
  3. It is funny how Friedel and virtually everyone here rips on Landon when he doesn’t do what THEY want him to do.

    IF he wants to play in MLS let him play in MLS. Don’t TRY ( and fail ) to rip on him. No one here is telling you to get a job where you can challenge yourself and not have time to sit on blogs.

    Reply
  4. ⬆All This⬆

    If I was him, would I want to leave Southern California where I’m a league legend to move to LIVERPOOL where I’d be just another good player? Not without a giant sack of money I wouldn’t.

    Reply
  5. So how does option 2 reflect poorly on donovan?

    Dempsey and bradley want to be the best players in the world? Bully for them, they’re making a real go of it.

    Donovan isn’t obligated to have that mentality, and he certainly doesn’t owe it to you or anyone else to do so. The guy should do what he wants to do.

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  6. Besides his success in his loan with Everton you also have to look at national team play. Donovan has 5 World Cup goals. 53 players in history have more and Donovan still has one World Cup left. He has come up big in the most important games which isn’t true for alot of the top players in the world right now.

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  7. If option 2 is true (and I think it is to some extent) then it reflects poorly on Landon, and it illustrates the problem with the development of some US soccer players who get coddled and treated as superstars from an early age. Do you think Dempsey thinks like that or Michael Bradley? They want to be the best players in the world, and thus play on the biggest stages against the best players. That’s what we need. More guys who are really hungry.

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  8. jim, +1

    Let’s also not forget that, even at 29, Donovan has logged a lot of miles on his body, not just in playing but in transcontinental travel. We’ve seen David Beckham travel hither and yon for various off-season loan deals…and ravage his body, in the process, despite his success. An off-season loan, even off-season training overseas, makes no sense for Donovan at this point in his career.

    Reply
  9. wides- you make a good point about the money, but its also true that if Donovan really wanted to try and make it in Europe, by now, he could have gone over there full time. This also relates to signing a longer term contract with LA a couple years back. Also, you can’t blame him for wanting to stay in the US, take less risk, promote MLS, and make decent money. Although, if he had taken the risk several years ago and done really well in Europe, it could have brought him a much bigger payday eventually.

    Reply
  10. Disagree. I believe through his comments he sees his time in Everton as confirming that he could (could have)play in a big time league. If not to anyone else he made his point to himself – and that’s really all that matters. I don’t think he’s going to lose any sleep on what might have been.

    Reply
  11. Dude moved not to long ago from Miami to Mpls…wouldn’t recommend for all the money in the world – family yes, money no.

    Reply
  12. Whether through intent or miscalculation, Donovan has arranged his club career so that he will never know for sure whether he could have been an important player in a big-time league. I don’t criticize in for that — it’s entirely up to him to weigh the pros and cons of various situations — but I can’t help thinking that when he retires, he’s going to wonder what might have been.

    Reply
  13. My thinking is that if a large offer for a permanent transfer came through then Donovan would go. The problem with a loan is the Galaxy season just ended on December 6. If he went on Jan 1 that would give him about 3 weeks off for the whole year.

    Reply
  14. Donovan would totally start for Everton again. He’s got a solid 2-3years left in him and I would love to see him in the PL or Spain/Italy. But it’s up to him. He should take credit for helping MLS and the NATS but he will not be remembered as a success in Europe unless he leaves for good now. Lots of pressure Yes but you don’t get anywhere with taking no risks.

    Come on Donovan. Head to Europe

    Reply
  15. It was no secret that Donovan wanted to stay at Everton long term, that MLS refused.

    Going through the motions has more to do with running out of pasture as passion. There’s nothing Donovan has left to accomplish in MLS or the National team (save a world cup) yet he’s expected to carry both.

    MLS, he gave you another fairy tale MLS championship. Let him go.

    Reply
  16. Option 1- Maybe LD doesnt feel like he has anything to prove to himself about his abilities. Some players want to go to the EPL so they can test themselves against some of the better players in the world…maybe LD feels he did that with his short stay and knows enough to know if he did he would do well…so nothing for him to prove OR he feels that if he wants to prove himself against the best in the world he already has done and will do that by playing against the best of the world on the USMNT team

    Option 2- While the UK is nice…for a SOCAL guy…does it offer what he wants? He liked Australia on the recent trip…maybe its as simple as cold & rain & fish & chips are not as great as beach, bikini, Hollywood parties, and just being home with friends and family.

    Soccer, as fun as it is, is his job. Many of us can work for a bigger name company, make more money, or get a promotion, but maybe we have to move to NY or some other city we might not want to live in. Maybe by taking that job we would have to move from FL to Minn (nothing wrong with people in Minn) and not provide the after work fun or environment we want. Maybe taking that job would move us farther away from friends, relationships, family, etc.

    There are lots of reasons he can take a JOB in the UK…but there are also lots of reasons he can stay in the US. People just really want to see a great talent like LD prove himself…and in many ways prove how good US players are by playing in the EPL. We the US Fans can feel better by telling other fans in the EPL how good our players are by showing them in the EPL. Maybe he doesnt feel the need to prove himself the same way… or feels he already has. If nothing else by staying in MLS he has made the MLS better and our development pipeline better…so rather then just sending a McBride, Duece, and Donovan over every few years…we have more talent coming out of the US and getting better as MLS gets better so soon even the fans wont feel the same need to have US players prove themselves in the EPL and will be just as happy having our guys play infront of the hometown fans every week.

    Reply
  17. SwerveZ … Based on what ? Phil Neville’s opinion ? More likely a loan (with no offseason) would lead to burnout.

    danny… at this point … Everton can’t afford to buy him, and he’s said he’d rather play for Everton than anyone else in the Prem. In the end… nobody in Europe is going to pay the likely $5M+ to get a 29 year old Donovan from MLS

    Reply

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